What kind of food does kingfisher eat?

The kingfisher is the general name of the kingfisher genus of the kingfisher family. It is a medium-sized waterfowl, named for its bright blue back and face feathers. There are 15 species and 48 subspecies in the world. There are 3 species of spotted kingfishers, blue-eared kingfishers and common kingfishers in China. Common kingfishers are the most common and widely distributed. Let's take a look at what kingfishers eat.

What kind of food does kingfisher eat?

Kingfisher lives in small rivers, streams, lakes and irrigation canals where there are shrubs or sparse forests, and the water is clear and slow. It is lonely and usually lives alone on branches or rocks near the water to hunt, mainly small fish. It also eats crustaceans and a variety of aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as small frogs and a small number of aquatic plants. After diving into the water, the kingfisher can still maintain excellent eyesight, because after entering the water, the eyes can quickly adjust the contrast of the angle of view caused by the light, so the fishing ability is very strong.

Breeding habits of kingfishers

The kingfisher can use its stout beak to nest in the earth cliff and nest in the tunnel of the field dyke. The bottom of the cave is generally unbedded, and the eggs are laid directly on the nest ground. Each litter laid 6-7 eggs. The egg color is pure white, shining, slightly spotted, about 28 × 18 mm in size and 1 to 2 nests per year. During the incubation period of about 21 days, both males and females hatch their eggs together, but only the chicks are fed by females. The breeding period of kingfishers in southern China is from April to July every year.

Common species of kingfishers

1. Spotted kingfisher: the upper body of the spotted kingfisher is mainly dark brown, rendered turquoise, with a bright green longitudinal line in the middle of its back, blue ear feathers, chest and abdominal chestnut, head and neck black, inhabit the banks of forests and rivers in the hills and plain areas at the foot of mountains below 1200 meters above sea level, usually live alone on branches or rocks near the water, and feed mainly on small fish, and eat crustaceans and a variety of aquatic insects and their larvae. Sometimes eat some plant-based food at the same time.

2. Common kingfisher: the common kingfisher has a length of 16 cm, a wingspan of 24 cm, a weight of 40 g, a life span of 15 years, and a similar appearance to the spotted kingfisher, but it is smaller in size, moves alone or in pairs, and is sexually lonely. usually, it often lives alone on branches or rocks near the water to hunt for food, mainly small fish, crustaceans and a variety of aquatic insects and their larvae, but also pecking small frogs and a small number of aquatic plants.

3. Blue-eared kingfisher: the blue-eared kingfisher is about 15 cm long, with black head and neck, blue-purple transverse spots, purplish blue ear feathers, light brown throat, and a yellow-white spot on each side of the neck. There are two types of forest-dwelling aquatic. The forest-dwelling blue-eared kingfisher is far from the water and takes insects as its staple food. The aquatic species live mainly in freshwater around the country, and like to look for food in ponds, swamps and streams. The food is mainly fish, shrimp and insects. It often lives quietly on the leaves of the canopy in the water and the tree skills on the rocks by the water, which is the second-class protected animal in China.